It is frequently necessary to cut concrete or asphalt pavement, and high-powered pavement cutting tools have been developed specifically for that job. For example, a full width milling machine has been developed to cut a path wider than a conventional backhoe bucket so that a backhoe may be used to access water lines, sewer lines, gas lines, etc., buried beneath a street. Similarly, large, powered circular saws have been developed for making narrow cuts around deteriorated sections of pavement so that a backhoe can be used to excavate the old pavement. These narrow cutting saws are also effective for making "across street" cuts when full width milling machines are not used.
It can be seen that many of the jobs which require a concrete cutting tool also require a backhoe to remove dirt and old concrete. As indicated above, many utility lines are buried under roads or streets and can only be repaired by cutting the street with a cutting tool and using a backhoe to excavate the asphalt and dirt. These jobs are frequently relatively small in scale and must be performed as quickly and inexpensively as possible by local utility or construction companies.
It would be efficient to have one tool which could perform both as a pavement-cutting saw and a backhoe, so that relatively small, roadway construction jobs could be performed with minimum number of tools and personnel. The prior art, however, has not provided such a device.
A need therefore exists for a construction tool which functions both as a backhoe bucket and as a narrow cutting saw for concrete and asphalt pavement. The present invention addresses this need.